Stalking for Dummies

Received this e-mail mere minutes ago from the secretary at our foster agency:

Google has implemented a new feature wherein you can type someone's telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and then you will be given a map to their house. Everyone should be aware of this!

Note: you can have your phone number removed or blocked.

Before forwarding this, I tested it by typing my telephone number in google.com.

My phone number came up, and when I clicked on the MapQuest link, it actually mapped out where I live. Quite scary.

Please look up your own number.

Read below for details.

Think about it--if a child, ANYONE gives out his/her phone number, someone can actually now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to:
http://www.google.com/

Type your phone number in the search bar (i.e. 555-555-1212) and hit enter.

I wanted to BLOCK Google from divulging my private information, so I clicked just above my name and a new page came up and gave me the option to remove my name from map quest... but I had to know exactly how my name is listed on the phone book (so I got my phone book and typed it in that way). It said that removal takes 48-hours. I will check it again in a couple days to make sure.

If you are unlisted in the phone book, you might not be in there, but it is a good idea just to check. If your number does come up if you hit map,it will show you a direct map to your house.

Please forward on to friends and family!!

We're actually unlisted (we used to be listed under Denise's maiden name), but when I checked our number, it came up with the person who previously had our number and mapped the path to their home. So I removed our number, which was a pretty easy thing to do.

As someone who has been stalked, the ramifications of Google providing maps to my home for anyone who can find the phone number is really disturbing. I still have nightmares of Shelley just showing up some day with a gun and killing Denise, and possibly our kids, so that I'll take her back (because that's just how her sick mind works).

I'm really disturbed by google right now.